Sermon rips anti-bullying bill

Sermon rips anti-bullying bill

The pastor of a large Steinbach church has warned local politicians, teachers, media members and other local citizens in prominent jobs that God can replace them if they stay silent on the call to oppose the province’s Bill 18.

At his Feb. 24 sermon to thousands of parishioners at Southland Church in Steinbach, Pastor Ray Duerksen specifically cited Hanover and Steinbach councillors, Hanover school trustees, doctors in the regional health authority, MLAs and MPs, police, firefighters, teachers, and media members and said: “God did not place you in your position because you are the only person who can do your job that well.

“If you don’t do it, God will set you and I aside, and raise up someone who will.”

Bill 18, which aims to fight bullying, guarantees any student in a public or private school who asks to form a gay-straight alliance must be supported by the school. Some Christians in southern Manitoba have said the bill infringes on their right to support schools that reflect their religious values.

A source in Steinbach who requested anonymity said Wednesday there is local talk that some church members are planning to run their own slates in the 2014 school board and city council elections, to try to “stack” the public bodies.

Duerksen said in his Feb. 24 sermon God placed people in their positions — including him — for a reason.

Not to bury your point, but I couldn’t resist. It has occurred to me to that the gay-hate agenda is venting from losing the debate on birth-control. They didn’t even break their stride dropping opposition to condoms and pills.

Perfectly said!!!! “Freedom” of religion will ultimately lose out to the interests of ANY given “greater community” in fostering the well being of ALL of its children. This notion deeply transcends all current National boundaries,—a far wider impending trend than just within the mere confines of Canada.

The good Pastor just needs a series of Hitchslaps together with a bit of Johnny Walker Black, and maybe he’ll
grow up a little. Maybe some MiracleGrow????

At what point do you realise you realise your dogmatic beliefs have brought you to the wrong side of history?

When a woman dies because you forced her to carry a non-viable fetus with a heartbeat?
When you help covering up the sexual abuse that a fellow member of the cloth has committed?
When you’re driving a young gay teen to suicide with your therapy and hate filled sermons?

“The pastor of a large Steinbach church has warned local politicians, teachers, media members and other local citizens in prominent jobs that God can replace them if they stay silent on the call to oppose the province’s Bill 18.”

Has this ass clown noticed that his god’s alleged disapproval is nowhere in evidence? Take the recent presidential election as one example.

Wow, the loco parentis argument in it’s pure form “If you don’t agree with me, you’re disagreeing with god! And you don’t want that, So do as I say!”.

Sly, manipulative and above all, hypocritical of what the bible actually says. After all, the passages that mention god being against gays are also chock full of other rules that the Christians themselves have long since discarded. Perhaps they should sort these issues out internally before they continue their crusade of persecution.

The other thing I find immensely telling is that the bible offers absolutely no justification for WHY homosexuality is wrong, all we get is “God hates it” but not why, or what detriment to society it is supposed to have. This is also the case with pretty much every other rule laid out. Similarly, preachers like this guy supply no reasoning either, just emotional blackmail.

Just to clarify: if nuns are the bride’s of Jesus, should we currently consider priests and their ilk to be his civil partners, or, if they’re into older men (and recent events suggest this is unlikely), partners of God. In this case legalizing gay marriage would allow them to achieve parity with nuns thereby redressing one of the great gender inequalities that has dogged the various churches for centuries.
Therefore Pastor Duerksen should surely be putting his weight behind the campaign to make marriage available to all rather than his bizarre and continuing attempt to be responsible for misery and suicide.

You are right fool. Religions no longer have a political voice. There is no room in a true democracy for closet dictators. Canada already has its dictator in their prime minister, Steven Harper. He has decided to waste tax dollars on a portfolio created to protect the rights of Christians in countries where they are persicuted for their beliefs. Religions pay no political tax and have no input into political legislation. Harper’s appointment is a blatant abuse of Canadian tax dollars and Canada’s dictator will pay the ultimate political price for his mindless waste. Canadians do not persicute religions, nor do they actively encourage them. They are simply tolerated as long as they abide by the laws of Canada that apply equally to all religions and all citizens. If you do not wish to follow the laws of Canada and prefer those of your god please, by all means, feel free to leave at any time. If you break Canadian law you will lose your freedom and be incarcerated in a Canadian prison. The choice is yours.

Clearly some places in Canada need to drag themselves into the 21st century. Get with it Manitoba; in a free democracy religious rights can not, must not, and will not trump human rights. That’s just what Pastor Ray wants to do.

We’ve had some arguments against anti-bullying activism here in the US too, and from the same demographic. The really sad irony is in how preventing bullying is seen by some folks as preventing their religious expression. These folks, purportedly delivering an argument from a moral high ground, are explicitly defining their religious expression as bullying. Pardon me for being glib, but if your moral high ground is the right to bully children, your morals are in need of reexamination.

These folks, purportedly delivering an argument from a moral high ground, are explicitly defining their religious expression as bullying. Pardon me for being glib, but if your moral high ground is the right to bully children, your morals are in need of reexamination.

When the classic bully arrogantly demanding servility, obedience, protection money etc , tries on the wrong person and gets a bloody nose and his behind kicked out of the district, he is usually the first to run off screaming “persecution!” while trying to find some authoritative do-gooder to sympathise and take his part!

I live in Winnipeg. The church where this pastor is based is in a small town about half an hour away called Steinbach. It is best known in Manitoba for being full of, and run by, hardcore Mennonites. Until a couple of years ago, you couldn’t purchase alcohol within town limits.

I mention this because these folks are the only group of any size to make a stink about this law. Comments on the local paper’s website regarding their position have been scathing…most Winnipegers, and Canadians in general, do not support their ideas.

There certainly are a lot of churches and people who think of themselves as Christian here in Canada, but it is very watered down. No one is overt about it in any office I’ve ever worked at. Mega churches seem to be popping up in big cities, but they have no great influence on government or culture. This buffoon in Steinbach will be frowned upon by the majority of Manitobans.

This will soon sound to these backwards hillbillies like virulent racism sounded in the 50s. The fact that it already does to the rest of us is unfathomable to them. What an embarrassment for the human race.